Throughout the summer, Christopher Nkunku was linked with numerous top clubs, including FC Bayern. But now the Frenchman is joining AC Milan.
After two years, Christopher Nkunku is leaving Chelsea, who made him the most expensive departure in RB Leipzig’s club history in 2023 with a €60 million transfer. The attacking midfielder scored 18 goals and provided five assists in the following 62 competitive games for the Blues, who have now sold him to AC Milan.
This also puts an end to a possible move to Bayern Munich, after the Bavarian club had been linked with Nkunku during the current transfer window and especially in recent weeks. Unlike a loan, which the German record champions would have preferred, the deal between Chelsea and the Rossoneri is a permanent transfer. The Frenchman is now tied to the Lombardy club until 2030. According to Italian media reports, Milan is paying €38 million, with further bonuses potentially increasing the transfer fee.
Only a substitute under Maresca
Nkunku’s time in West London was also marked by numerous injuries, most notably a knee injury shortly before the start of the 2023/24 season, which forced him to take a break for several months. In the past season, the 27-year-old was largely spared from injuries, but still did not play a decisive role under coach Enzo Maresca. Nkunku was in the Blues’ starting lineup in only nine of his 27 league appearances.
In the current season, however, the 14-time French international has yet to play a single minute, with Maresca deciding to leave Nkunku out of the squad in light of the ongoing transfer negotiations. The striker, who will wear the number 18 shirt at AC Milan, last played in a competitive match on July 13, when he came on as a substitute in the closing stages of Chelsea’s Club World Cup final triumph (3-0 against Paris).
